Property Management Blog

What is Considered a Maintenance Emergency in an Apartment?

Many of our tenants ask this as one of their most common questions
– just what counts as a maintenance emergency? Granted, to some
that might mean Netflix being unavailable or WiFi going slow.

Jokes aside, there are certain issues that, if they happen,
then it’s quite necessary to call your landlord and ask for
immediate repairs. Here are a few of them (if you are currently experiencing
one of these, please call our emergency line at (866) 226-3808):

No heat in the apartment

If this coming winter is anything like the last one in Portland and
Vancouver, then a broken heater is certainly cause for an emergency.
Generally, anything under 50 degrees outside would constitute this as
an emergency. This is applicable for a mechanical malfunction though,
not necessarily for failing to pay gas or electric bills.

Power outage

Whether it’s inside your apartment or outside as well, total electrical
failure is reason to contact your maintenance team. However, it’ll greatly
help everyone if you did a few things first: try resetting the circuit breakers,
resetting the GFI breakers on the outlets, and also check any fuses that might’ve blown out.

No more A/C

Similar to a broken heater, this is largely dependent on what’s going
on outside. Given that summers here in Vancouver can clear 100 degrees
on certain days, a broken A/C on one of these days certainly warrants
a call for repairs (generally, any temperature over 90 should prompt a
call). In the meantime, grab a fan and get those windows open!

Smelling of gas

This is a case where, if you catch any scent whatsoever
of a gas leak, you need to call maintenance immediately
(do this from outside the apartment!). You’ll know it’s
presence by the strong scent of rotten eggs. Natural gas
is a huge hazard – inhaling it can be poisonous, and
it’s also easily ignited.

Plumbing issues and floods

Here’s the general rule of thumb: if your leak can be
contained in a bucket, then it isn’t necessarily an emergency.
If water is flowing into your apartment, though, then this is
certainly an emergency. In any case, turn the water valve off
to ensure no further flooding ensues.

As property managers, it’s our top concern to keep
you comfortable and safe as a tenant. We try to get to
repairs as fast as possible – this list, however,
are the situations that are moved to the very top of the
list. In any case, if you are experiencing maintenance
issues, please fill out a maintenance request form.

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